AN NHS worker has demanded that urgent action be taken to prevent people from being killed on the road outside a doctor's surgery.

Jackie Dunphy works at The Bute House Surgery within the Grove Medical Centre on Wootton Grove in Sherborne.

Following near-misses on the road, which is just off the busy A30 Coldharbour, she wrote to Dorset Police and Sherborne Town Council asking them to take action.

Speaking at yesterday's planning committee meeting, Ms Dunphy said that the situation was "just dreadful" and worried that someone may get hurt if nothing was done.

Julie Dunphy has called for measures to stop motorists parking between the A30 and the speed humps on Wootton Grove in Sherborne (Image: Jackie Dunphy)

She said: "Nearly every day there are cars or large vans parked on the corner of Wootton Grove on the junction of the A30, right in front of the speed hump.

"As a consequence, when turning left off the main road, drivers are forced to blindly move into the middle of the road in the way of any oncoming traffic, as they are unable to proceed in any other way.

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"On numerous occasions I have met traffic coming the other way and have had to reverse back onto the A30, which as you know is a very busy road.

"On Wednesday (August 30) I was almost hit head on and from the back by another car coming round the corner as I was attempting to get out of the way of the oncoming car."

Several staff at the Grove Medical Centre have experience problems with traffic (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Ms Dunphy added that several of her colleagues had experienced similar near-misses, and stated that vehicles were often known to park on or near the white line at the entrance to the surgery.

She said: "Although there is a white line across the driveway to the Grove Medical Centre, we are constantly experiencing cars parked right up to, and on some occasions, on the entrance to the driveway.

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"This is so very dangerous as any driver trying to get out of the drive onto Wootton Grove is totally blind to any traffic coming in either direction, and it is a case of literally having to take your life in your hands to get out.

"The police are sympathetic but they don't have the manpower, and the PCSOs they sent up there can't issue tickets.

"It is becoming a nightmare. When we pull out we have to pray to God that there's nothing coming."

Cars park on both sides of Wootton Grove on a regular basis (Image: Daniel Mumby)

Councillor Jon Andrews, who also represents Sherborne on Dorset County Council, said that the same problem had been raised with him by the surgery's practice manager.

He said: "I remember four or five years ago someone bringing up this same problem.

"It seems a sensible move - God knows what will happen if a fire engine or an ambulance had to get up there."

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Mr Andrews added, however, that it could be a considerable amount of time before the county council's highways team put anything in place.

He said: "Double yellow lines will involved a traffic order, and they can take anything up to 48 weeks.

"Putting double yellow lines up to the speed humps won't cause any problems, but they can't go further. Highways will fight tooth and nail against that because they don't like putting yellow lines in residential areas."

The parked cars create reduced visibility pulling out of the surgery and onto the road from the A30 (Image: Daniel Mumby)

The town council voted unanimously in favour of placing double yellow lines between the A30 and speed humps, as well as extending the white lines indicating no parking or waiting at the turning for the surgery.

The county council will now consider the request and respond to the town council in due course.